Waltera. Rosenblith, 88, Former Scientist At Mit

May 18, 2002|The New York Times

Walter A. Rosenblith, one of the first scientists to use computer models to emulate the behavior of the human brain, died on May 1 in Miami Beach. He was 88.

Mr. Rosenblith also brought together scientists in different fields working on similar research and was central in building the neuroscience program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he worked for more than three decades.

"He was an energizer," said Dr. Ann Graybiel, the professor of neuroscience at MIT, who holds the academic chair endowed in Mr. Rosenblith's name.

Born in Vienna, Walter Alter Rosenblith received degrees in communications engineering from the University of Bordeaux in 1936 and the Ecole Superieure d'Electricite in Paris in 1937.

He came to the United States as a research assistant in physics at New York University in 1939. World War II prevented him from returning to France. He taught at UCLA and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology before joining the Harvard Psycho-AcoustiC Laboratory in 1947.

His early research focused on the effect of loud, continuous noise in factories on workers' health. That led him to create mathematical models to describe electrical activity in the brain, trying to understand how the nervous system sends messages back and forth.

"He was a real pioneer in tying engineering and physical science and medicine together," said Dr. Charles M. Vest, president of MIT.

Mr. Rosenblith is survived by his wife, Judy; a daughter, Sandra Rosenblith of Chevy Chase, Md.; a son, Ronald, of McLean, Va.; a brother, Eric, of Newton, Mass.; and three grandchildren.